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Sunday, December 22, 2019

Theme Of Religion In Catcher In The Rye - 859 Words

In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses the motif of religion to develop the characterization of Holden Caulfield as a teenage boy from New York City who suffers from depression and loneliness. Holden Caulfield is the edgy, rebel, protagonist of this story. He recalls his days at his school, Pencey Prep, and roaming around the city for around three days after getting kicked out. During Caulfield’s tale, Salinger mentions encounters of religion. Each encounter begins with Holden trying to connect with others or himself through God or Jesus, but ultimately failing. The motif of religion helps the reader understand Holden’s loneliness because it shows how desperate he is to connect with a higher power to feel less alone. To†¦show more content†¦Arthur Childs is Holden’s former classmate at Whooton School and is a â€Å"Quaker [who] reads the Bible all the time† (111). Holden and Arthur get into disagreements on Jesus and his Disciples. After Arthur accuses Holden of being uneducated because he â€Å"[did not] go to church or anything† (112), Holden goes on a tangent regarding religion in his family. Holden’s parents are â€Å"different religions, and all the children in [his] family are atheists† (112). He even goes as far as complaining about how â€Å"[ministers] sound so phony when they talk† (112). Even though his attitude towards religion is so negative, Holden stills goes back to it when he feels alone. After Sunny, the prostitute Holden hired, leaves Holden’s hotel room, Holden tries to pray, but he â€Å"[cannot] always pray when [he] feels like it† (111). This is due to his negativity towards religion, but it does not change th e fact that Holden keeps turning to religion when he feels alone. The only reason why Holden even hired Sunny was to be able to converse with her, not to sleep with her. This action, along with him trying to pray, really shows how desperate Holden is for some company to feel less lonely. In addition, Holden has a cynical view towards people who practice religion, specifically Catholics, because he deems them as selfishly trying to figure out if the person they are talking to is Catholic as well.Show MoreRelatedHow Salinger’s Holden Caulfield Relates to Teenagers Throughout Time1412 Words   |  6 PagesHow Salinger’s Holden Caulfield Relates to Teenagers Throughout Time In 1951, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye was #1 on the New York Time’s bestseller list. Since then, the American Literary Association claims The Catcher in the Rye is a â€Å"favorite of censors.† The use of harsh language and profanity has been a long time debate of educators causing the novel to be pulled off bookshelves and propelling J.D. Salinger and his protagonist, Holden Caulfield, into reluctant fame. TheRead MoreThe Freedom Of Speech Through The First Amendment Essay1156 Words   |  5 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger published in 1951. The Catcher in the Rye is about Holden Caulfield’s life as a 16-year-old recluse in New York City trying to find his way in life and his rebellion against the norm (Salinger). The book is the seventh most challenged or banned book in school systems and libraries because of Unorthodox Language/Profanity, Atheism/Disdain for Religion, and Sexual Promiscuity/Homosexuality (Frangedis) . The point of view used in The Catcher in the Rye is inRead MoreCatcher In The Rye Essay example1672 Words   |  7 PagesLooking In Despite the debate that may wage on regarding the status to be afforded J. D. Salingers writings, the authors books have not quietly faded into obscurity. Although published almost a half-century ago, the authors most famous work, Catcher in the Rye, enjoys almost as healthy and devoted a following today as the book did when it was first published. Because of a self-imposed exile that began almost at the same time the Salingers career was just taking off, much of the substance of theRead MoreThe Catcher In the Rye Should Not be Banned Essay789 Words   |  4 Pages The Catcher In the Rye Should Not be Banned nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; Since its publication in 1951, The Catcher In the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger has served as a conflagration for debate and extreme controversy. Although the novel has been the target of scornful criticism, it has also been the topic of wide discussion. The novel portrays the life of sixteen year old, Holden Caufield. Currently in psychiatric care, Holden recalls what happened to him last Christmas. At the beginningRead MoreThe Importance of Censoring in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger1145 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican author well known for his best seller The Catcher in the Rye, a considerably influential novel that portrayed the feelings of alienation that were experienced by adolescents in North America after World War II (J.D. Salinger Biography). Salinger’s work appeared in many magazines, including a series of short stories which inspired many new authors (J.D. Salinger Biography). His inspiration for Pencey Prep boarding school in The Catcher in the Rye stemmed from his own difficult education at aRead MoreSalinger s A Pretty Good Life Growing Up1269 Words   |  6 Pagescolleges including Columbia University but didn t graduate from any. Salinger’s early adult life revolved around his experiences in WWII. In 1942, Salinger was drafted for the war and fought in Europe. While J.D. Salinger was writing The Catcher in the Rye, he was experiencing difficult times in his life. Salinger was married twice and both marriages ended up with a divorce. Salinger’s first wife was Sylvia, which divorced him after a year of marriage. In 1955, Salinger remarried Claire Douglas;Read MoreThe Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath And The Catcher Of The Rye1515 Words   |  7 Pagesso obvious. A person is made up of three major parts- their personality, the cultures that mold their personality, and their dreams. These three components are analyzed within the novels, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. These themes contribute to the evolution and demolition of characters, leading to events that create thrill within the two. In the novel, The Bell Jar, the prime character, Esther Greenwood, struggles to handle life in her own skin. She feelsRead More The Writings of J.D. Salinger Essay1513 Words   |  7 Pagesone novel. His best known work, The Catcher in the Rye, was published in 1951. The short stories he wrote were Nine Stories in 1953, Franny and Zooey in 1961, Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction in 1963, Young Folk in 1940 and A Perfect Day for Bananafish in 1948. Many critics have considered J.D. Salinger a very controversial writer because of the subject matters he wrote about. For example Salinger wrote about religion, intellectuals, emotional strugglesRead MoreArguments Against Banning Catcher in the Rye Essay1110 Words   |  5 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye By: JD Salinger Why The Catcher in the Rye Should Not be Banned By: Ryan Gash By: Ryan Gash There are people who would like to see The Catcher in the Rye banned from our schools because it contains disturbing issues. In my opinion they are overlooking the message that J.D. Salinger was trying to communicate. In this novel, the characters exhibit a wide scope of behaviors from honorable to ignominious. The novel presents issues such as respect for religion, orRead MoreD. Salinger s The Catcher s The Rye 1872 Words   |  8 Pagescalled, . . . the forbidden fruit in the garden of literature (The Catcher 116). J. D. Salinger is a writer from the 1950s, a time where literature has questioned the ideas of traditions placed in a community. Through his life and through his characters Holden Caulfield and Phoebe Caulfield in the 1950s realistic fictional bildungsroman The Catcher in the Rye, the postmodernist author J. D. Salinger focuses on the theme of self isolation in society in order to create independent opinions.

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